FREEFORM POWDER MOLDING - FROM CAD MODEL TO PART WITHOUT TOOLING

Freeform powder molding (FPM) is a new manufacturing process which mak es it possible to produce small lot-sizes of powder metallurgy (P/M) c omponents without costly hard-tooling. FPM is among an emerging group of manufacturing technologies, known collectively as rapid prototyping , which facilitate the efficient conversion of computer models into so lid components. In addition to providing a quick turn-around prototypi ng and small lot-size manufacturing capability for P/M practitioners, FPM is an enabling technology for fabricating components with spatiall y tailored material composition. This paper describes the FPM process, provides results of ongoing process development research, and suggest s ways this technology will be applied to realize unique manufacturing capabilities.